Chapter 3020 Waiting

He didn't know her, but she looked familiar.

It sounded a bit contradictory, but that was exactly how Fu Qian felt about the lady who had just abruptly appeared.

From this angle, he could only see a sliver of her profile, but it was enough to confirm she wasn't anyone he knew.

She wasn't Her Excellency Indigo Witch, either.

His earlier remark that "as long as you keep waiting, something bad will definitely happen" had indeed referred to whatever the spatial tearing would eventually condense in their surroundings.

Given Old Man Henry's involvement, Fu Qian had even anticipated that the big shot, His Excellency Blazing Rainbow, might make a personal appearance.

But this figure obviously wasn't him.

For one thing, despite possessing a physical human body, she looked absolutely nothing like the Indigo Witch he had seen back in the Sacred Night Capital.

For another, she was incredibly frail. Even if His Excellency Blazing Rainbow wanted to play the victim, he wouldn't take it to this extreme.

So where was this sense of familiarity coming from?

Compared to the previous players who had shown up, this woman was incredibly quiet.

Even under Professor Fu's scrutiny, she showed no inclination to glance his way. Aside from the signs that she was still breathing, she remained as still as a statue, staring off into the distance.

Yes, she only "appeared" to be.

At least on the right half of her face, the eye socket was visibly stuffed with blackish-red flesh, showing no signs of retaining even a shred of vision.

As for the left side...

Still careful not to disturb her, Fu Qian moved around to check.

Sure enough, her left eye socket was just as hideous.

It looked as though the dense cluster of blood vessels growing around the socket had violently torn the original eyeball to shreds.

But unlike the other side, she actually seemed to have another eye.

Situated just below the left socket, it was slightly narrow and elongated, with a peculiar yellowish-brown pupil.

Even the shape of the eyelid was completely wrong—it looked like a knife slash across her face.

But regardless, this eye seemed functional.

From this angle, he could even see it twitching uneasily. It was surrounded by bulging blood vessels, their form even more grotesque with a bizarre, blackish-red hue.

In a trance-like moment, they looked like tears of blood weeping from the eye.

These vessels trailed across her entire face, spreading down her upper torso and all the way to her awkwardly bent left hand.

A curse? He could only say it certainly looked like one.

And a curse that caused a person to grow a new eye?

That particular detail immediately sparked a few connections in Fu Qian's mind.

"What's going on?"

He wasn't the only one reacting. Startled by his sudden words, Yuan Shan also looked outside in disbelief.

Unfortunately, she clearly saw nothing.

"Shh—"

Professor Fu had no intention of explaining. Instead, he made a silencing gesture, as if her rash outburst would blow away the clues.

"Lady, you look a little familiar," he called out in greeting.

At the same time, he leaned in even closer.

...

'Why has this guy become even more erratic since we got here?'

Watching Professor Fu talk to thin air, Yuan Shan played along and kept quiet, but her brow furrowed deeply.

Her hearing was perfectly fine, after all.

But why would Fu Qian ever care about worldly opinions? He simply continued to draw his conclusions.

The unnaturally emaciated lady beside him had clearly heard his greeting. For the first time, she moved—though she still didn't turn her head.

Madam Three-Eyed raised her deformed left arm, attempting to pry open her twig-like fingers.

Unfortunately, the blackish-red blood vessels had completely tangled around her hand in a tight knot.

Even with all her strength, she only managed to open a tiny gap—a Pocket Watch?

But that was enough. He could now clearly see what she was clutching in her palm beneath the mass of blackish-red vessels.

It was an open-faced Pocket Watch. It might have been exquisitely crafted once, but it was now smeared with the blood oozing from her palm. The miraculous part was that it was actually still ticking—just like the clock beneath their feet.

Unfortunately, before he could get a closer look, the figure beside him gave a light leap and threw herself off the stone platform.

...

His greeting just now might have been a little cheesy, but wasn't this reaction a bit extreme?

Witnessing such a resolute display, even Professor Fu was momentarily stunned.

He could only say she truly lived up to being the wife Brother Wanderer longed for so deeply.

Yes, she hadn't said a single word, but that didn't mean Fu Qian hadn't gained anything.

The moment he saw the condition of Madam Three-Eyed's left cheek, he had already formed a guess about her identity.

If his initial sense of familiarity came from a certain unique aura, then that extra eye instantly triggered another memory—

The Apocalypse Knight of the Abyss—one of the four knights who had appeared alongside the White-Hot Knight, and who had introduced himself as the Wanderer.

That eccentric Wanderer had announced he was looking for his wife the moment he appeared, and his subsequent actions had proven his absolute resolve.

And in the exact same spot on the Wanderer Knight's left cheek, there had been a scar of almost the exact same shape. ...

Was this why the Wanderer had insisted back then that if Fu Qian ever saw his wife, he would instantly recognize her?

As the memories flooded back and the old friend's words rang in his ears, Fu Qian couldn't help but sigh.

Who could have imagined that his past regrets would actually be resolved in a place like this? The Birthday Party truly was a magical place.

Furthermore, it seemed Brother Wanderer's bitter search hadn't been in vain. Not only was Madam Three-Eyed wearing a long coat similar to his style, but she also perfectly embodied the image of a devoted wife waiting for her husband's return.

The Pocket Watch in her hand was also clearly designed for a man. It was likely some sort of token of a promise between the two of them.

Finally, in the face of a strange man's greeting, she had been resolute enough to throw herself straight off the Clock Tower, preferring death over compromising her purity—wait, it seemed she wasn't dead?

Even before Madam Three-Eyed could hit the ground, Fu Qian had stepped up to the edge of the stone platform to watch.

However, as he watched her plummet, her dead-leaf-like body abruptly vanished into thin air while still a fair distance from the ground, leaving no trace behind.

[SAN Value -1, inspiration +1]

And right on the heels of that supernatural scene, another familiar prompt chimed.

Just a casual greeting had actually yielded the exact same reward as executing Professor Ian? Fu Qian clicked his tongue in wonder.

"Was there someone over there?"

Unable to bear his continuous bizarre behavior any longer, Yuan Shan finally peered around and asked again.

"Not anymore."

Fu Qian shook his head and sighed with genuine regret.

Compared to a single point of inspiration, he was obviously much more interested in the story of the Wanderer and his wife.

It was a pity that despite having encountered her twice now, it still only amounted to a fleeting glimpse, and he hadn't managed to chat with her.

Furthermore, there was another very important reason why he was so eager to talk to her. The Wanderer was almost openly associated with The Abyss, and a cat suspected of being an Abyss Pledger had once slept right here. The connection between the two was impossible to ignore.

Thus, Madam Three-Eyed's appearance at the Clock Tower absolutely lived up to his earlier claim about finding a clue.

It was just a pity that while she had left behind a few pieces of intel, it didn't seem very useful for finding the cat—wait, it looked like someone was there again.

Just as he was sighing in regret, down on the street beneath the Clock Tower, that familiar figure unexpectedly materialized once more, walking off into the distance step by step.